Foldable Walking Beam for Sucker Rod Pumping Systems
A two-piece coupling walking beam is foldable and separable for sucker rod pumping system shipment, storage, installation, or servicing. It provides a two-piece coupling walking beam using connection plates—a pin plate, a fastening plate, and/or strengthening plate(s) for sucker rod pumping systems. A foldable walking beam with a two-piece coupling beam has a connection joint by which the portion with a horsehead located in the front end of the beam for sucker rod pumping systems wherein the walking beam can be folded either transversely (horizontally or sideways) or longitudinally (vertically) to the other portion of the beam without a horsehead to provide working space for system maintenance, installation/reinstallation, or servicing.
In artificial lifting, pumping is one of the major techniques used to produce crude in the oil field. It has been used to increase the oil flowing rate during oil production. The well can be lifted using a sucker rod beam pump, a progressive cavity pump (PCP), or an electrical submersible pump (ESP) etc. The sucker rod beam pump is a simple type of pump for oil well artificial lift, which has been used for years within tubing and casing to lift a column of fluid, such as crude oil, up the well bore to the surface.
A sucker rod pumping system includes a walking beam pumping unit at the surface and a plunger pump submerged in the production liquid of the well. The pumping systems have proved to be cost effective because of the simple design, operation, and maintenance. Sucker-rod beam pumps can be operated efficiently over a wide range of production rates and well depths by operators of varying experience. They also have a high salvage value which makes them more popular than other types of artificial lifting methods.
The plunger pump is connected to a string of sucker rods that extends through the production tubing from the pump to the surface. The subsurface pumping unit is typically located over one mile below the ground surface. The plunger or working barrel can be over 20 feet in length. In operation, the string of rods is oscillated by a pump jack through a stuffing box combined with a polished rod to maintain a good liquid seal which is located at the surface. The plunger reciprocates within a working barrel while the string of rods is oscillating. Next, the fluid is pumped to the surface so that it is directed into a lateral flow line by the stuffing box mounted on the wellhead.
The sucker-rod beam pumping unit has several major components which includes a crank, a linkage bar (pitman), a walking beam, supporting posts (Sampson posts), and a horsehead. The upper end of the polished rod connects to the horsehead using wirelines through a bridle block. On the lower end it connects to the sucker rod string which drives the subsurface pump components. When the crank rotates, the horsehead moves vertically up and down so that the sucker-rod string with the polished rod reciprocates in a vertical direction.
Over a period of operation, the fluid in the well bore corrodes and erodes the surfaces of the tubing, casing, and components of a plunger pump. Heavier hydrocarbons such as paraffin, asphaltene, and scale deposit on the surfaces after they precipitate out from liquid phase due to temperature variations. Contamination occurs with paraffin, silt, sulfide deposits, and various other compounds. The corrosion rate relies on the fluid temperature. The fluid composition and temperature gradient affect both the corrosion rate and deposition rate on surfaces. The effects of the corrosion and particle deposition on surfaces not only decrease the pumping efficiency but also accelerate the pump deterioration rate. The plunger will engage the surface corrosion or particle deposition (or the combination of both) on the tubing surface. It could also engage sand particles because the plunger outer diameter is designed the same as the tubing inner diameter with a design clearance to lift fluid up to the surface. Before the plunger body becomes stuck inside the tubing or damages the pump, the plunger pump needs to be lifted from the wellbore down hole up to the surface for cleaning and repairs.
Although sucker rod pumping systems are relatively simple units, maintenance and installation of the units are time consuming and expensive. Pulling the subsurface unit up to the surface is required to repair and clean the subsurface pump components. For example, the standing valve, traveling valve, plunger, working barrel, as well as the seals between the plunger and working barrel all need to be pulled out and serviced. Sucker-rod pumping systems are large and heavy. A significant amount of space is required for the pumping components of the subsurface pumping unit when they are pulled up to the surface for servicing. The horsehead is a heavy component and needs to be disconnected from the walking beam to pull up the pumping unit. Removing the horsehead is time consuming, dangerous and technically difficult. Improper removal often leads to damaged components and is a potential source for accidents in the oil field.
This invention requires no disconnection between the horsehead and the walking beam for system servicing, which is realized when using a two-piece foldable walking beam. Accordingly, the application of the two-piece foldable walking beam can result in significant savings in both equipment replacement and service costs in a pumping oil well.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is an object and feature of the present invention to provide a two-piece coupling walking beam using connection plates—a pin plate, a fastening plate, and/or strengthening plate(s) for sucker rod pumping systems. The two-piece coupling walking beam is separable and foldable for sucker rod pumping system shipment, storage, installation, or servicing.
It is another object of this invention to provide a foldable walking beam with a two-piece coupling beam having a connection joint by which the portion with a horsehead located in the front end of the beam for sucker rod pumping systems wherein the walking beam can be folded axially either latitudinally (horizontally or sideways) or longitudinally (vertically) to the other portion of the beam without a horsehead to provide working space for system maintenance, installation/reinstallation, or servicing.
The invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
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To enhance the strength of the connection between the two pieces 40a and 40b of a foldable walking beam 40 for the pumping unit, additional strengthening plates 56a and 56b can be added to the top and bottom of foldable walking beam 40 as illustrated in
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The description and parameters previously outlined in this document concerning the invention of interest should be accessible and discernable to those versed in the field. This includes but is not limited to the optimal design parameters/dimensions, spatial relationships, dimensional relationships, size variations, materials, form, and function. Proper appreciation of which would result in sufficient understanding of what this invention encompasses. The description found in this document provides an accurate and ideal form of the invention but should not limit or constrain further necessary equivalent modifications (operation, construction, and everything that entails) dependent on context.
Claims
1. A sucker rod pumping system with a two-piece coupling separable and foldable walking beam for increasing the oil flowing rate during oil production. The system is comprised of a plunger pump submerged in the production liquid in the well and a pumping unit at the ground surface which can be a conventional unit, or a Lufkin Mark II unit, or an air-balanced unit with a foldable walking beam.
- This pumping unit is configured differently with a foldable walking beam. The foldable walking beam has two pieces which are connected by a pin plate and a fastening plate and/or strengthening plate(s). The pin plate in claim (1) has two parts which are jointed through a pin bolt, washers, and screw(s). The two parts of the plate are fastened using fasteners or permanently welded or joined using adhesive to the left piece and right piece of the two-piece foldable walking beam, respectively. The fastening plate in claim (1) has a structure of either one full piece of plate or two parts which are connected using bolts. For the structure of one full piece fastening plate, half of the plate is connected using fasteners or permanently welded or joined using adhesive to the left piece of the beam without a horsehead and the other half of the plate is connected using bolts to the right piece of the beam with a horsehead. For the structure of two parts of a fastening plate, they are connected using fasteners or permanently welded or joined using adhesive to the left and right piece of the beam, respectively. The two parts of the fastening plate are connected using bolts during operation. When system servicing is required, the section of the one full piece fastening plate is unfastened from the right piece with a horsehead of the beam or alternatively the two parts of a fastening plate are separated. The piece with a horsehead of the beam is folded and attached to the other piece without a horsehead of the beam during system servicing. The strengthening plate or plates in claim (1) are optionally added to the connection between the two pieces of a foldable walking beam. The foldable walking beam connection has no strengthening plate, one strengthening plate, or two strengthening plates. Either one of the strengthening plates or both plates are fastened using fasteners or permanently welded or joined via adhesive to the piece of the beam without a horsehead. The other end(s) of the corresponding strengthening plate(s) is (or are) fastened to the other piece of the beam with a horsehead using bolts during production. When system servicing is required, the strengthening plate(s) are unfastened from the piece of the beam with a horsehead. The two parts of the fastening plate are also unfastened or half of a one full piece fastening plate is detached from the beam. The piece with a horsehead of the beam is folded and attached to the other piece of the beam without a horsehead during system servicing.
2. A two-piece separable and foldable walking beam. This two-piece walking beam is axially either latitudinally (horizontally or sideways) or longitudinally (or vertically) foldable.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 31, 2019
Publication Date: Nov 5, 2020
Patent Grant number: 11306768
Inventors: Wei Shang (Sydney), Craig Daye (Musquodoboit Harbour), Jiacheng Shang (Halifax)
Application Number: 16/731,694